No matter how strong people’s passion for sweet carbonated water is, compote has always been and will always be the tastiest, healthiest and most natural drink. Nothing quenches thirst and fills the body with vitamins as quickly as compote made from fresh fruits and berries. But it is easy for them to get poisoned, so it is important to know how to store compote in the refrigerator, as well as without a refrigerator (canned compotes for the winter). In this article, we will talk about what and where to store compote, how to preserve vitamins, and whether it is possible to cook compote with bones for children.
Storage rules
The drink, which we used to call compote, in Russia was once called no other than uzvar. And compote, strangely enough, the French nicknamed this universal drink. Be that as it may, the principle of cooking remained unchanged. The tastiest compotes, when the season comes, are made from cherries, currants, grapes, plums, cherries, prunes, apples and, of course, strawberries.
Storing compotes at home usually does not cause problems. The range of optimal temperature for compote is quite wide – from 2 to 14 °C. The maximum shelf life of freshly cooked compote is no more than 2 days at a temperature of 2 °C. And with the increase in temperature, accordingly, this period is significantly reduced, up to 5 hours, if it is left at room temperature.
After the compote has cooled, it is left in a glass container or in plastic bottles. Of course, the reuse of plastic bottles is not welcome in the household, but when the compote needs to be frozen, it is impossible to do it in a glass container (the glass will burst in the freezer). By the way, storing compote in the freezer is a great way to extend the life of the drink for several months.
If you plan to use homemade compote in the near future, it is better to leave the container with it in the refrigerator or in the coolest place in the house. Of course, it should not be open.
It is quite simple to determine when a homemade drink has gone bad – this will be indicated by the foam on its surface, cloudiness, bubbles and the characteristic smell of fermentation. Do not rush to get rid of sour compote, it can be used to make wine.
Dried fruit compote
Dried fruit compotes occupy a special place in our lives, they are especially useful for children and the elderly, and you can cook them at any time of the year.
Storing compote from dried fruits is no different from storing compote from fresh fruits and berries. But it will be considered fresh for up to 4 days at a temperature of 2-14 °C. The first day of this drink will be needed to infuse, after which it will become even tastier.
After 24 hours, it is better to filter the dried fruit compote so that a bitter aftertaste does not appear. After that, you can store it in a jar or plastic bottle in the refrigerator.
Cherry compote
Storing cherry compote requires more attention than all others. Containers for it will color quickly, so it is better to give preference to glass jars. Cherry is a tasty and useful berry, but the acid in it is sometimes excessive.
In order for the compote not to become too sour after infusing, it must be strained no later than 4 hours after cooking. Next, cherry compote is stored in exactly the same way as apricot or apple compote. At a temperature of 2-14 °C, it will stay fresh for two days, and it will feel best in the refrigerator.
Canned compotes
Canned homemade compotes can be stored for quite a long time, and special conditions are not required for this. Of course, they do not do this on a hot balcony, but there is no need to send cans to the refrigerator either. A few secrets of storing canned compotes:
- Storage temperature is preferably up to 20 °C.
- Before removing the jars of compote to a permanent place of storage (in the basement, pantry, cellar, under the bed, etc.), you need to observe them for a couple of weeks. Turbidity, bubbles, foam are all signs that the compote will have to be sterilized and rolled again.
- It is very important to leave a sticker with the sealing date on each jar of compote, especially when it contains seeds. The shelf life of compote with bones is shorter than without them. No more than 12 months – that’s how long you can store compotes with bones. During this time, hydrocyanic acid accumulates in them, which makes such a drink dangerous for health.
- From time to time canned cans with compote are reviewed, as cloudy and bloated ones may be among them.
- It is better to use varnished lids to seal home-made compotes from cherries, blueberries, currants, grapes, and mulberries so that they do not turn purple.
- How many years boneless compotes are stored depends on the conditions, if they are optimal, they can be drunk even after 3 years.
Compote for a child
Compote is a baby’s first drink, because for a baby, water is tasteless, juice is too risky, and weak compote is what is needed. Every mother tries to preserve all the vitamins of fruits and berries in the compote, so that it is not only tasty, but also useful for her baby. The main rule in compote preparation is that fruits and berries should be subjected to heat treatment for as little time as possible. Fresh or frozen ingredients are dipped in boiling water, and after boiling and adding sugar, cook for 1-2 minutes, no more.
For the child, it is recommended to cook fresh compote every time. You can’t even leave compote in a bottle in the refrigerator if the baby hasn’t finished it, as the process of bacteria reproduction has already started there. If you really need to save compote for a child (for example, to take with you on a trip), then you need to pour it into a sterilized glass container and put it in the refrigerator.
Compote can be heated only once. Children should not cook cherry, plum or apricot compote with the stone, it is removed first.
Canned compotes are also not suitable for small children.